


There Were Two

by YukiSkyes



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blooky is too cute for their own good, Family Feels, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-09 14:18:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5543030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YukiSkyes/pseuds/YukiSkyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life was difficult when you're a pathetic little ghost left by their lonesome by the first and last person who ever promised they would never leave them, but that was okay... He had his dreams and they wouldn't want to hang around themselves either if they could help it, after all, there was nothing worth staying around someone like Napstablook for...</p>
            </blockquote>





	There Were Two

**Author's Note:**

> In ghost cousin hell. Cross-posted on fanfiction.net (YukiSkye) and tumblr (reminiscingdreamer).

They’ve all been together for longer than they could even remember.

Maybe that wasn’t surprising considering that ghosts couldn’t die save for special circumstances so their lives tended to be long. Very long.

Anyway, they had been together forever and that was it. Crystals glowed, Waterfall was full of water, and they were together.

The snail farm had also been theirs for almost as long. Maybe. Again, long lives make for blurry memories and anyway, the length of time wasn’t what’s important. What mattered was that the snail farm was _theirs_ as much as they were each other’s.

“Y-You’re leaving?” Napstablook asked in their timid, quiet voice that people needed to strain to hear sometimes, his form wavering in tangibility in time with his dismay as they stared disheartened at one of their cousins.

“… Sorry… Farm… bad,” their cousin replied in that stunted way of theirs with long pauses and succinct sentences that had been a source of a distressing wealth of misunderstandings in the past with their customers, but the family always knew what they were saying anyway.

It’s what Napstablook had been hearing a lot lately.

One by one, they’ve watched everyone drift away. The farm began to grow emptier and emptier. It was a struggle with each and every ghost that left.

A lifetime of memories and staying together slowly falling apart.

With every absence, their presence somehow managed to grow larger. It was there in the form of yawning, echoing walls, a gap in family members, and in an ever diminishing number of ghosts where there should’ve been more.

They knew the farm hadn’t been doing so well lately but they’d thought… or at least, they’d hoped…

Now, there was only three and one of them was leaving.

“O-oh… Um… O-okay… If that’s what you want…” they muttered, looking to the ground and trying not to cry.

Lately, it’s all they’ve ever done. Every single time someone else wanted to leave, they cried when they should’ve been cheering them on a hundred percent. Instead, they only set them back as they tried to calm them back down.

It made Napstablook hate themselves a little more inside.

Of course everyone would want to leave. They all had actual dreams and ambitions. Their world was _tiny_ and they weren’t like boring, unambitious Napstablook who was actually okay with the farm.

“As long as you’re happy…”

They really meant it but they wished they could be happier about it too.

Meta noticed and sidled closer, nuzzling them comfortingly.

“Don’t be sad, Blooky,” he cooed. “You’ve still got me.”

Napstablook nodded and looked up at Dumsta again. “I’ll… see you… I guess… Bye.”

They quickly vanished so they wouldn’t keep Dumsta here any longer just to make them feel better and they floated back into their house where they lay on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The world had gotten too small for everyone and as a result, it had gotten too large for Napstablook. And it wasn’t even filled with anything meaningful; just wide, yawning, empty spaces…

Oh… Oh no… They were crying. Oh no… They didn’t mean to… They wanted to be happy but all they ever do was mess up anyway. They were such utter trash.

“Oh, Blooky,” they heard Meta sigh sadly as they floated over to snuggle up to them.

“You’re... not going to… become corporeal too… are you?”

Immediately after they asked that, they wanted to hit themselves over the head or hide forever because that was such a selfish question.

Of anyone on the farm, Meta was the one with the biggest dream of them all and the only reason he hadn’t even been the first to leave yet was because of _them._

Napstablook burst into tears and curled away. “I-I-I’m s-sorry. I’m s-sorry. A-all I-I d-d-do is h-hold y-you b-back. F-forget what I-I a-asked. Y-you c-can g-go i-if you r-really… r-really w-wa…”

The words became stuck. They couldn’t bring themselves to finish, to let their cousin go, and Napstablook wished they could die for real because they were horrible. _Horrible_. They were the scum of the world. They shouldn’t even exist. They should disappear for real and for good.

“Oh, darling, Blooky, sweetheart, don’t cry,” Meta soothed moving to their other side so that Napstablook could see him.

He gave a smile, warm and affectionate and seeing it stilled Napstablook’s tears if only for a few moments.

“I’ll never leave you behind. I promise.”

Napstablook froze.

No one… had ever promised not to leave them before.

“R-really?”

The hope they felt surging through them made their voice sound a little breathy even though they didn’t breathe and when Meta nodded, they suddenly felt so light, they thought they could float up forever through the ceiling, through the barrier, and into the “sky” that lay beyond. Would the sky even be big enough to stop them? Because at the moment, it didn’t feel like anything was too high for them.

“Really,” Meta affirmed confidently and Napstablook beamed, the gesture rare.

Even if their world had gotten too big for them to live it alone, if Meta was there beside them, it’d still be more than enough to fill the emptiness full of echoing silence.

O l O

“I’m going to the Human Fanclub! Don’t wait up for me,” Meta called as he left work.

“Oh, okay… Have fun,” Napstablook said after him though they doubted he could hear them with the way he was humming and how fast he was going.

Ever since Meta had started that club, he’s been going off a lot more. Sometimes, Napstablook worried he wouldn’t come back one day and leave them all alone with the farm. Surely Meta’s new friend was a lot more interesting than them… but they quickly shook it off because he had promised and Meta always came back in the end anyway so it was okay.

Meta had invited them to the club a few times but Napstablook wasn’t really interested, not in the way Meta seemed to be. When it came to the subject of humans, he had this riveted sort of fascination that he never had for anything else except maybe his dream of becoming famous.

In a way, Napstablook was a little happy that Meta took such an interest. At least this way, he had something to look forward to. It wasn’t as though he could be famous being stuck on the snail farm with them…

And maybe… a small corner of them hidden deep inside was a bit… glad because if Meta took an interest in humans… maybe he’d… he’d lose interest in… other… things.

Oh no! No, no, no! They couldn’t think like that! Meta’s dream was important to him! How could they even—!

When Meta came home a few hours later, it was to find Napstablook on the floor from which they hadn’t moved an inch from for just as long, wallowing in self-deprecating misery.

O l O

Meta had been excited lately, jittery. He practically and literally vibrated with his energy.

“You seem… excited,” Napstablook broached hesitantly one day.

Somehow, they felt a little flutter of anxiety.

Meta turned to them with a giant smile and he whizzed over and hugged them, short arms not able to reach all the way around but it always made Napstablook a bit happy that someone was willing to show affection towards them even though they were a selfish piece of garbage that didn’t deserve it… At least… it meant… someone accepted them… even if they _were_ garbage…

 “Oh, Blooky! Everything’s coming together!” Meta said happily.

“For… what?” Napstablook was almost afraid to ask. But that was okay because Meta didn’t seem to be answering anyway.

He hugged them a little longer before letting go with one last firm squeeze.

Meta seemed a little… uncertain but somehow, he had a glint in his eye and Napstablook wondered what it could mean.

He smiled. “You’ll always be important to me, Blooky. You know that, right?”

Napstablook stared at him uncertainly. “I… I suppose…”

“You are,” Meta confirmed in a more definite way before faltering, his form flickering once before solidifying once more, tense. “Blooky, an opportunity came up.”

Oh. Oh…

“It’s not that I want to leave you,” Meta hastily assured, “but an opportunity like this doesn’t come up even once in four lifetimes so…”

“It’s okay… you don’t have to explain to me…” Napstablook mumbled, gaze diverting to the stony ground.

Meta hugged them again and whispered reassurances but they heard none of it, numb.

Of course Meta would want to leave. Who’d want to stick around a snail farm with _Napstablook_ when they had such great talent and winning personality? They were surprised he stuck around as long as he did. All Napstablook ever really did was bring people down. They know they’re depressing. They’ve even heard people call them that before, even their own family members and as a result, they were often avoided. Having them around and their emotional baggage was just deadweight. Meta was right to leave them.

“I’m glad you understand,” Meta said softly and Napstablook nodded.

“I hope… you’ll be happy,” they muttered. _Without me to drag you down._

Meta smiled again but Napstablook couldn’t bring themselves to return it so they nodded and simply said bye before fading away, headed for the Ruins where they often went to cry in secret by themselves when they didn’t want to disturb anyone, especially Meta.

They ended up staying overnight and by the time they came back, Meta was gone with only a note telling them to take care of themselves.

Napstablook didn’t go to the Ruins this time because there was no longer anyone there to keep them from curling into one corner of their house and wearing a hole in the floor from their puddle of tears.

O l O

There was a rough knock at the door but Napstablook didn’t hear it.

They’d taken to wearing headphones everywhere around the farm at all times lately to fill in the gaps of hollowing silence as they worked on the snail farm. The thought that maybe they should leave too flashed through their mind once or twice but that was it. They knew they’d never abandon the farm. It was all that was left of their family. It was pathetic the way they clung on. Still no dream, still no ambition. Just their music and their bad mixtapes.

Lately, however, Napstablook couldn’t bring themselves to do even that, the one thing they were demi-decent in but nonetheless enjoyed doing. All they seemed to be able to do was lie on floor and stare blankly at the ceiling. Getting up for anything was too much of a hassle now. It took too much energy and it was beginning to feel like there was nothing to get up _for_ …

“Napstablook, are you in there?”

Ah, it was their neighbor, Undyne. She intimidated them but she was okay in the end… They supposed it was rude to let her stay at the door but… Napstablook couldn’t bring themselves to care… They didn’t really feel up to company. They didn’t want anyone to see the sorry state they were in anyway…

There was another knock but Napstablook didn’t answer, hoping she’d go away but also kind of hoping she didn’t…

She did in the end.

O l O

Napstablook didn’t know how long he laid there. It could’ve been days, weeks, months, or maybe even years.

If only they didn’t get in anyone’s way… If only they were cheerier, maybe people would actually tolerate them… Maybe Meta would’ve even taken them with him and formed a group with Shyren like he said he would all that time ago… They wondered how he was doing. Was he happy? Was he doing okay? Was he famous yet? Did he fulfill his dream?

They wanted to see him. Even if it would only be through a screen, that was okay, as long as they saw him. Even a glance would be enough…

They turned on the TV and were greeted with a show starring what seemed like a robotic rectangle balanced on one wheel with two arms and a lot of buttons.

The colorful special effects were what first caught their attention.

The show was full of explosions and flashing lights and so much drama and haphazard music and sounds that it might’ve been to an excess but… it was pretty exciting; at least, more exciting than their own pointless little life.

Napstablook liked it. They liked the star too. Mettaton. For all that he was a metallic rectangle and his voice rather mechanical, he was still full of jaunty flavor that made him bigger than life. It reminded them a bit of their cousin. Maybe… Mettaton was Meta? The names were close enough and Mettaton was a star just like Meta always wanted to be, but they couldn’t be sure.

Whatever the case may be, they were mesmerized.

Mettaton’s shows might be gaudy but they were alive and vivid in a way Napstablook could never be and it was almost like being shown a new world, as though they could live it too just by watching. It made them forget how pathetic they were even if it was just for a little while and if it made them feel a little closer to their cousin, then that just made it even better.

O l O

Mettaton had inspired Napstablook to continue with their life again.

They apologized to the snails that had been left alone by them for a period of time. They felt absolutely awful. They knew what it was like to be left behind. They’ll try not to let it happen again.

They began mixing music again and they even wandered several meters from their home and farm for a few minutes.

Undyne, who happened to be walking back to her house on their stroll, was surprised to see them but she grinned in that toothy way of hers in relief.

“Napstablook! Great to see you again! If it weren’t for the snails, I would’ve thought you left too!”

“Ah… no… I stayed… I’m sorry… Maybe I should’ve left instead…”

They didn’t want to be a bother. They knew that their presence was a annoyance to others…

“Naw, I’m glad you decided to stick around! I’ll see you around some time! Maybe we could even have a good spar with each other!” she enthused.

That… didn’t actually sound too appealing to Napstablook so they politely declined the offer. Still, it was nice to be invited to something...

“No thanks… I’m good…” they said nervously.

“Well, okay,” Undyne said, looking them over. “Swing by anytime you change your mind!”

“Oh… okay…”

With a vigorous wave, Undyne left.

That… took a lot more out of them than they thought. It wasn’t… actually that bad, but maybe they weren’t quite ready for conversation with others just yet.

They quickly returned home in case they bumped into anyone else and spent the rest of the day mixing music.

O l O

Today, Napstablook was going to try something new.

Maybe if they added a little more variety in their life, they could at least make it not-as-boring even if it wouldn’t nearly match the excitement from Mettaton’s shows.

The thought gave them a little bit of the will to try even if they were almost certain they’d fail anyway.

It wasn’t actually too hard to shed some tears and when they did, they focused on getting them to form the way they wanted to.

Eventually, they managed to finish. They couldn’t actually see it on their head though and it wasn’t as though they had anyone to show it to anyway. It was kind of… silly and pointless. It probably looked awful anyway.

With a sigh, they dispelled their tears and settled back on the one thing they were actually demi-okay in.

O l O

Though there really was no difference in terms of isolation in regards to their home and the Ruins, sometimes, Napstablook would go to the Ruins anyway on those days when the memories of their home and farm became too much and they didn’t want to really see anyone on the extremely tiny off-chance someone might come by, not that they were worth even that many visitors. At times like those, they came to the Ruins where they could always count on complete and utter nothing.

But it seemed today would be different when they heard a pair of footsteps echoing off the stones.

Surprised, they closed their eyes and pretended to sleep in the hopes that they’d go away.

They didn’t as Napstablook discovered when they felt a poke against their side.

They opened their eyes again to see a small person with chin-length brown hair and a striped shirt. They’ve never seen someone like them before, but then again, it wasn’t as though they saw a lot of people anyway… Even so… Napstablook could tell they weren’t anyone from the Underground… A human?

The human gave them a small smile that caught Napstablook off guard.

It was… kind and patient. It wasn’t broad and boisterous like Undyne’s or mocking and laughing like a few other monsters’ were when they caught sight of how depressing they were. It was… something they didn’t deserve, but even so, they felt a twinge of happiness in their soul.

“Heh…”

They rose up, still dripping rainy tears that the human stepped around as they continued on to tell them a little joke with that same smile still on their face.

“Heh, heh,” they couldn’t help but chuckle.

It was… kind of funny… And they didn’t even make a comment even once about how gloomy they were… Or told them to lighten up… And they even made the effort to get them to feel better despite it all…

Napstablook… wanted to repay that kindness somehow but… they hesitated. What if they didn’t like their trick? It was stupid a-and they’d probably mess it up like they did everything else or the human will think they were lame but… this person was so nice so surely… it wouldn’t hurt to try?

Salvaging the meager courage they had, they took the leap.

“Let me try…”

With the tears from their eyes, they performed their top hat trick and said, “I call it ‘dapper Blook.’ Do you like it…?”

The human… beamed and… and actually clapped their hands.

Oh gee… they did it. They made them happy. _Napstablook_ had made someone happy! Oooh, oh no… Even if it was just to be nice… no one had treated them so kindly before… Not since… Ooooh…

The last tears that trickled from their eyes were nothing new but for the first time ever, it wasn’t out of sadness but… but _happiness_. Ooooh…

They wanted to explain to them how great they were for putting up with them so they said, “I usually come to the Ruins because there’s nobody around… but today I met somebody nice…” They trailed off as they caught sight of the human looking up at them attentively. They should probably stop being a nuisance now. “Oh, I’m rambling again. I’ll get out of your way.”

They vanished from sight and wandered about the Ruins in a daze, still thinking about that smile.

Flustered, they didn’t notice they were waning in tangibility until they tumbled down into the room below them and oh… now they’re trapped. How did that happen?

… Guess they’ll lie here for a while…

A little later, they could hear the telltale crack as the floor crumbled from a weight and the human from before fell onto the leaf pile across from them.

The human got up, dusting themselves off before making their way over to their side, tilting their head curiously.

“I fell down a hole… Now I can’t get up…” Napstablook explained, a bit embarrassed but the human didn’t laugh at them so they continued. “Go on without me…”

Oh.

“Wait, ghosts can fly, can’t they… Oh well…”

They faded from view once more and floated up and out, still kind of embarrassed that they forgot they could just do that, but nonetheless, for the first time in a long while, they felt comfortable around someone else and it… really wasn’t bad.

They didn’t think they’d see the human again afterwards, however, but that was okay. The warm feeling of having someone at least tolerate them was enough.

A few days passed the usual way except today, they decided to go the garbage heap. No better place for garbage to be, right?

Except… they accidentally interrupted the nice human with their friend when they were having fun.

Oh… Oh no… Oh no… They ruined everything… Oh no…

At least… they should invite them to their house to make up for it but… they weren’t really expecting them to come. After all, who would drop by just to visit them anyway? What a lousy way to make up for chasing off their friend…

They returned home, feeling glum and continued on with mixing more music.

They were surprised when they sensed someone coming in through their door an hour later to find the nice human standing in their entryway.

When they noticed Napstablook was looking at them, they gave a wave.

“Oh… You really came…” Napstablook said, pleasantly surprised. “Sorry, I… wasn’t expecting that. It’s not much, but make yourself at home.”

They fidgeted at their spot in front of the computer as the nice human wandered around curiously. They hadn’t had guests in a… long, long time and they had never been more conscious of how sparse, rundown, and dusty their house was. If only they took the time and effort to clean or maybe liven the place up a bit with decorations or something…

Their guest didn’t _seem_ to mind, though. In fact, they looked really interested in their rows of CDs, which made Napstablook kind of happy. They even played three of them.

Next, they examined their old TV and then their fridge.

It struck them then that they hadn’t even offered them something to drink or have as a snack. What a terrible host they were.

They took out a ghost sandwich on a plate and asked if they wanted to try it.

They did but when they attempted to eat it, they just went right through it… Oh… Of course… How could they have been so thoughtless and forget that people couldn’t eat ghost food?

There was an awkward silence as Napstablook flailed for something to say or a way to make it up and they finally asked if they wanted to join them in their family tradition. It was the best thing they could think to offer and… it actually meant a lot to them because… it had been a family activity once…

Their guest actually agreed and feeling a little better about their mistake, they showed them what to do.

They laid there for a long time and Napstablook felt like the both of them reached a new stage of tranquility in being garbage. It was… nice to have someone to share this with again…

“Well, that was nice…” Napstablook said when they got up again sometime later. They really meant it. “Thank you…”

The nice human hung around a little more as Napstablook showed them their music-sharing site but then they had to head out again and Napstablook went to see them off.

“It was fun… Thanks again for coming…”

Their guest for the day nodded in a way that told them that they had fun too.

After one last good-bye, they left and Napstablook slipped back into their house, feeling a rare moment of contentment with themselves.

Sometime later, the human came back again but this time, it was to check out the farm, which was a bit awkward since they were at work.

It turned out fine, though.

They played Thundersnail a few times but didn’t manage to win.

Napstablook wondered why the nice human would voluntarily choose to come back to someone as dreary as they were when everyone else had left them, but it was nice to get a second visit. It would be the last, but Napstablook was going to enjoy it while they still could.

O l O

Mettaton’s shows were pretty much the highlight of their day when they decided to tune in.

It was always exciting. Mettaton managed to make even the most mundane things really interesting. It was one of the things Napstablook admired about him.

Lately, they’ve been following a series of shows that involved the nice human and Mettaton.

They never really sure who to root for so they decided to root for both.

Napstablook thought that these episodes must be some of the most dramatic and tensest they’ve ever seen and it kept them glued to the screen, entranced.

They forgot themselves entirely as they followed the nice human’s progress through Hotland.

But then they reached the Core and something in Napstablook sank as they heard Mettaton say he’ll cross the barrier into the human world to become a star.

Oh… Of course… Napstablook was certain that if Mettaton crossed the barrier, they’d become the biggest star the world has ever seen but… but… oh… They should’ve expected it… Everyone in their life left them eventually even if that someone was a person they couldn’t talk to or touch, only hear and see.

Napstablook still wasn’t completely certain whether that was their cousin on TV or not but… it didn’t change the fact that it hurt because Mettaton and his shows made up so much of their dull, pointless little life.

Everything good in their life always left them eventually.

Napstablook watched the rest of the episode even though they couldn’t see it very well because of the continuous stream of tears blurring their vision.

They watched as they transformed into Mettaton EX, a surprise plot twist, and they watched as he faced off against the nice human.

Napstablook wanted to follow this to the end because it was only right to watch Mettaton to the last seconds of the final show.

They watched as his arms fell off and then his legs, sockets emitting smoke and yet, Mettaton remained firm in pursuing their dream. It was another thing Napstablook admired about him because it was something that they didn’t have; a dream and the will to pursue it. They were just… Napstablook… Dull… dreary… plain…

“We’ve reached the viewer call-in milestone! One lucky viewer will have the chance to talk to me… Before I leave the Underground forever! Let’s see who calls in first!”

Napstablook had reached for the phone almost unthinkingly and started dialing even before Mettaton had finished speaking.

They weren’t really expecting to be able to talk to him because they were Napstablook and things never went their way but… if there was even a slight chance… just a _sliver_ of a chance they’d be able to do the one thing to show their support for Mettaton’s decision, they were willing to try.

The line went through and they sniffled with a faint, “oh,” of surprise.

Now was the time… It’d be the last… before the final meaningful thing in their life left them forever…

“Hi… Mettaton…” they managed in a wobbly voice, fat tears running down their face. “I really liked watching your show…”

They sniffled again.

“My life is pretty boring… but…”

They tried to calm their tears but they shook with it.

“Seeing you on the screen… brought excitement to my life… vicariously. I can’t tell but… I guess this is the last episode…?”

The tears began to slide down in earnest despite their best efforts and they struggled to finish what they needed to say before it overwhelmed them.

“I’ll miss you… Mettaton… Oh… I didn’t mean to talk so long… Oh…”

They could barely talk now, their entire form trembling violently with their tears and they quickly hung up before the sounds of their crying grew worse.

They shut the TV, curled silently on the floor of their darkened house, and cried and cried and cried.

O l O

They didn’t get up when the knock came. They didn’t even care. Nothing was worth caring about anymore… nothing…

“Blooky…? Are you there?” a muffled voice asked tentatively from the other side of their door.

… That was… new… No one had... called them Blooky… in a long time… The only ones who did that… were long gone… They’d all left… Napstablook was alone… and they’ll always _be_ alone… for the rest of their life… This kind of life… wasn’t even worth trying for…

There was a creak and then, “Blooky?”

Somehow the inquiry sounded a lot clearer and closer than before.

They heard metallic footsteps making their way over to them but Napstablook continued to stare blankly at the ceiling.

It wasn’t worth their attention… Nothing was anymore…

“Oh, Blooky. What happened to you?” a saddened voice murmured.

They could feel someone picking them up and cradling them in their arms.

A face peered at them through the darkness with something that looked like concern etched in their familiar features… But that was impossible… It was…

“Mettaton?” they whispered.

What could Mettaton possibly be doing here? Wasn’t he going through the barrier to be a huge star?

The expression on their metallic face softened as he smiled, but it was small and somehow regretful.

“Yes, but not quite, darling. Do you recognize me?”

Napstablook shifted a bit in Mettaton’s arms to get a better look at him.

“… Meta?”

Meta nodded. “That’s right, sweetheart. It’s Meta… I’m… surprised you remembered me.”

“Of course I’d remember you, Meta…” Napstablook replied before looking down again. “So… you’ve fulfilled your dream... You’re a star… and now you’re going through the barrier to become even more famous… Congratulations… It’s good of you to see me one last time… before you left… Thanks…”

The arms around Napstablook tightened and a second later, they’re being embraced and they felt Meta’s face press against the top of their head.

“No, Blooky. I’m not leaving, I’m never leaving again, not without you.”

Napstablook froze, beginning to panic. They flickered in and out of tangibility with their growing alarm. “Oh no… Please… I don’t want to hold you back… I’m sorry… I’ll get out of your way… You don’t have to worry about me… I’m fine…”

“No, no! Blooky! It’s not like that! Let me explain!”

There was a strange desperation in their cousin’s slightly robotic voice and now that they knew who it was, it wasn’t actually that difficult to recognize and Napstablook stilled, waiting, their anxiety making them quiver a bit.

“There’s… a lot of things I want to apologize to you for, Blooky,” Meta said roughly, quietly. “First, I’m sorry for leaving you behind all by yourself… Even if I promised I’d never leave, I _knew_ how you felt about being all alone and I still…”

He wavered.

Napstablook patted Meta comfortingly on the arm with their stubby hand. They weren’t sure if he could feel it but they didn’t like their cousin so sad.

“It’s okay… Your dream was important… I understand…”

And they did. They really did.

Meta shook his head, however. “It’s not okay, Blooky. My dream blinded me. I… I became so obsessed with being noticed and admired that I forgot about the people who noticed me before I was famous and who already loved me for who I am. I owed Alphys a lot of apologies for what I did and hurting her even though I wouldn’t even be where I was without her. And I owe _you_ a lot of apologies too for forgetting the one person who had always been by my side supporting me all the way through without even once complaining… I just can’t believe it took so long to wake up…”

“No… you don’t—”

“I _do_ , Blooky,” Meta insisted. “I could’ve visited at least once in a while or even called but I… I grew so… _embarrassed_ about my origins that I… I ignored everything to do with it, including you. I’m sorry, Blooky. I’m so sorry.”

Napstablook leaned away from Meta so they could reach up and brush the stray strands of hair from his face so he could see the little smile on their own face.

“But… you didn’t really leave me… You were right there… on TV and… even if you didn’t know it… you supported me through my life so… thank you, Meta... for being there for me.”

Meta’s eyes grew glassy with tears and he hugged them against his chest again, squeezing.

“I love you, Blooky, and I’ll always love you. You know that, right?”

Napstablook’s eyes widened at the words, stunned, before their mouth began to tremble and their eyes started to tear up.

“I’ll understand if you don’t want anything to do with me again and it’s okay if you say no. Don’t feel like I’m forcing you but…” Meta hesitated before slowly continuing on, unsure. “But if you’re still up for it, what do you think about you, me, and Shyren performing together, just like I said we should. What do you think?”

Meta had barely even finished his question before Napstablook was breaking into tears with a loud wail.

They couldn’t help it. They were just so… so… _happy_ , like they had never felt before in their _life_ because it was all they ever wanted. But even more than that, Meta had come back to them, they still loved them, and best of all, he came back with a new promise to never leave them behind ever again and this time, it felt like it was true.

 Meta was here to stay. Right by their side.

**Author's Note:**

> Mettaton never told Blooky he was their cousin in the end but I need my family fluff fix so I "fixed" it = w=


End file.
